Educational psychologist arrested on 12 child abuse charges

A 58-year-old educational psychologist from Haarlem is in custody on suspicion of abusing children in his care between 2004 and 2011, the public prosecution department said on Friday.

The man, known as Cees van D, was arrested after one of his patients made a complaint against him last year. Police then began a major investigation into the man, which led to his arrest six weeks ago. He has been held in custody since then.
Van D has since confessed to the abuse and attempted abuse of 11 others. The youngest was aged six but most were aged between 13 and 17, the public prosecutor said.Social work
Van D is a former councillor for the left-wing green party GroenLinks and worked as an educationalist at the youth social work department.
He was convicted of raping a 13-year-old boy in 2011 and jailed for 18 months, nine suspended, RTL news reported.
The boy, who suffered from ADHD, had been referred to Van D by his school.
The judge in that case banned Van D from working as an educational psychologist for life. Van D has been out of jail since March 2012 and has been undergoing treatment, the public prosecutor said.